All there is to sip and savor in New Orleans

A Blog About the Nog

Tim McNally

Photo Courtesy of Gentlemen of Leisure, blogspot.com, 2010

Onward, all you merchants and radio stations. On Christmas tree lots, bakers and candy stick makers. Get on with yo’ bad self, Parks City and Lafreniere. Rejoice, oh, Canal Street, Lakeside and Jackson Square. Now, yes, now, it’s Holiday Season, when it was not before.

I know it doesn’t rhyme, but the whole Holiday thing just starts too early, what with the music and the ads and the shopping inserts and all. But we are now officially in Holiday Season. Was not in that mood in early November, but now, go on ahead with your/our celebration.

Two of the culinary hallmarks of Holiday Season, wrapped up in all the parties, the great finger food and the beverages, are items that are always appropriate yet receive very little respect. Oh, you know what I mean, don’t play like you don’t.

I’m talking about fruit cake and egg nog. No respect, I tell ya’. But they pop up every year. They are ridiculed and slandered, but then, here they come. I have to admire both of them just a little because at least they have the decency not to appear in October. They know their place, and it’s now.

Can’t help you better understand the fruit cake thing. I’m good for about two bites of a really good one. I think my parameters are that it is moist and does not get clogged in the throat.

But egg nog, well, there’s a puzzlement. I have had many and so have you. Anything memorable? The darn thing is either too sweet, too much dairy fat, too little rum or it's completely overwhelmed by the nutmeg sprinkle. Still - and you can set your watch by this - it is back and it will be featured at parties to which you have already been invited. Book it.

So why can’t we have a really good egg nog? And what’s the story about this milky, sugary concoction? Glad you asked. (Yes, I know that was a setup, but, hey, I’ve got to write a column this week, so gimme a break here. I’m trying to make a living.)

The drink itself, according to the on-line source indepthinfo.com, came to America from Europe. And here comes one of those pieces of information that seems to run against conventional wisdom: In America, we took the traditional non-alcohol egg nog base and added rum. (Did you really think the Boston Tea Party was about tea? Okay, obscure reference and one of these days we’ll do a column on Early Americana and the love of liquor.)

Anyway, it seems egg nog took its name from one of two tales. The first is that, in those colonial times, the wooden cup used for serving drinks in taverns was a “noggin.” Another story revolves around the popular class of drinks in early America: grog. This dairy drink, now with rum added in our New World, was called an “egg and grog.” That was a bit long and it soon became shortened to egg nog.

Somewhere in between is a story that combines both of those tales and the drink was an “egg and grog in a noggin,” but no one would order something with all those words. They certainly could not order a second one.

Egg nog has always been a social drink, made in the winter time because the dairy ingredients would not spoil immediately and because of its body-warming abilities (thanks to the rum). The drink was ladled from large bowls placed on the bar or table. Given the way buildings were heated at that time, with fireplaces and their resulting drying effects, a cool egg nog with rum did not last long among the participating patrons. Good thing considering all the dairy in the drink.

The Father of our Country, none other than George Washington himself, was a big egg nog guy. His version contained rum, sherry and rye whisky. Quite a man’s man ol’ George was.

There are many ways to make egg nog, and most of our fine local dairies are happy to sell you a product where the prep work is just about all done for you - except for adding the rum and doing the heavy lifting with the nutmeg sprinkles. But if you feel the need to create your own egg nog, the recipes below look like they could turn a few heads and make converts:

In a large bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Whisk together until fluffy. Then whisk hot milk mixture slowly into the eggs. Pour mixture into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 3 minutes or until thick. Do not allow mixture to boil. Strain to remove cloves; let cool for about an hour.

Keep in mind that egg nog has a lot of ingredients that can go wrong in a hurry. Always have your punch bowl holding the egg nog sitting in a larger bowl that contains ice and cold water to extend the life of the fragile contents. Avoid placing your egg nog near a hot fireplace or under a heating vent.

Okay, so these two recipes are a bit more work than just heading for the grocer’s dairy aisle then making a look-and-grab run on the liquor aisle. But maybe it’s not that you don’t like egg nog, it might be that you’ve never had a good one.

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All there is to sip and savor in New Orleans

about

In New Orleans, when the subject is wine and spirits, it is very difficult to leave Tim McNally out of the discussion. He is considered one of the “go to” resources in the Crescent City for counsel and information about adult beverages and their place in the fabric of life in this great city.

Tim is the Wine and Spirits Editor, columnist and feature writer for New Orleans Magazine; the Wine and Spirits Editor and weekly columnist, Happy Hour, for www.MyNewOrleans.com; the Executive Editor and monthly features writer for Gulf Coast Wine + Dine Online; creator and editor of his own website, www.winetalknola.com; all in addition to his daily hosting duties on the radio program, The Dine, Wine and Spirits Show, on the air at WGSO – 990AM, every weekday, 3- 5 p.m, and streamed live on www.wgso.com.

Over the years, Tim has proved to be an informed interviewer, putting his guests at ease, and covering tactile and technical information so that even a novice can understand difficult agricultural and production concepts. Tim speaks with winemakers, wine and spirit ambassadors, distillers, authors, people who stage events and festivals, and takes questions from listeners and readers, all seamlessly blended together in a program that is unique in America.

Tim’s love of wine actually came about many years ago from his then wife-to-be, Brenda Maitland, a noted journalist in her own right, and together they have traveled to the major wine producing areas in the US and Europe, seeking first-hand information about beverages that give us all so much pleasure.

They were instrumental in the founding of the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, a major national and international well-regarded festival of its type. They both continue to be involved with the planning and staging of this multi-venue, five-day event now over twenty years old.

Tim is also considered one of the foremost professional wine judges in the US, being invited to judge more than 11 wine competitions each year, including the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (the largest competition of American wines in the world, with more than 6,000 entries), the Riverside, CA International Wine Competition, San Francisco International Wine Competition, Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition, Indiana International Wine Competition, Sandestin, Florida Wine Festival Competition, the State of Michigan Wine Competition, the U.S. National Wine Competition, and the National Wine Competition of Portugal.

Tim is a guest lecturer to many local wine and dine organizations, and speaks each year to the senior class in the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.

Staying abreast of the news of the wine and spirits world is a passion for Tim, and he is committed to sharing what he knows with his listeners and readers. “Doing something I love, with products that I truly enjoy, created by interesting people, coupling the experience with culinary excellence, and doing it all in the greatest city in America,” are the words Tim lives by.